She was the first blossoming flower of spring, a sign of hope for better things to come. After being born in the United States, and three years later moving to Mexico, I never had the opportunity to learn English. My mom didn’t speak it. And my dad didn’t see the need to teach me. It was always Spanish because that was all I needed to know. But then  my dad’s company moved us back to the States.
The fear of starting at a new school in Milwaukee, in a foreign environment, surrounded by people who spoke a different language, was horrifying. I remember walking in the first day of school. With every step I took, my nerves bubbled in my tummy making me gag. I clutched my mom’s hand so tightly, digging my fingernails into her hand. I hadn’t made it to the classroom and I was already a walking water fountain because I knew my mommy had to leave soon.
As soon as I stepped into the classroom, a shadow was cast over me. She must’ve been a giant--she had short brown hair, glasses, and a smile painted onto her face.
“You must be Kristine! Nice to meet you! We’re going to have a lot of fun this year!”
And with that, she grabbed me by the hand and walked me to my seat. And then Mommy left. But for some reason it was okay. I felt comfortable, and happy with the warmth this woman--Mrs. Kaponya--spread.She knew I didn’t understand anything going on because I didn’t know the language, but she did her best to make me understand. She’d pull me aside and explain with drawings and pictures. And whenever I struggled, she cheered me up with her motivational sayings of “Practice, practice, practice!” and “Be the very best you can be.”
Not only would we practice, but we would also sing and read books with beautiful art work, especially the ones by Jan Brett. We would play games and go on field trips together. And we’d go to the tot lot (the playground with the swings and slides at the front of the school) and played for what seemed for hours. .
She wasn’t just a teacher, she was such a magical human being with so much joy to spread, a shoulder to cry on, lots of warm hugs, and someone to talk to about my kid problems.
That year, my mom also got pregnant with my little sister, Gabby. When Mrs. Kaponya found out about the pregnancy, she helped me cope with the fact I wasn’t going to be the only child anymore. She’d help me draw pictures of my family, and asked me to include my little sister (which I did) and when Gabby was born, it was the happiest time and by then I had accepted her and welcomed her with a sweet embrace--and this was all thanks to Mrs. Kaponya for helping me understand what a blessing Gabby was and not an annoying burden who drained my parents’ attention.
I ended up learning English in three to six months, her job wasn’t to teach me another language, but still chose too. And thanks to her, I’m now able to communicate bilingually. And I’m even helping my mom learn it. I could never thank her enough for this blessing.
Without her, I don’t know where I’d be now. “If you give a man a fish he is hungry again in an hour. If you teach him to catch a fish you do him a good turn.” Thank you, Mrs. Kaponya, for teaching me how to catch the fish.